Everyone in the USF Sport Management Program has his or her own unique story.
For Mason Moore of Cohort 35 in San Francisco, his story is a family affair that started nearly 13 years ago in the Pacific Northwest. After meeting his wife Amelia in 1999 while working at a restaurant in Seattle, the two married two years later. In 2003, Mason and Amelia had their first child Peyton and shortly before making the decision to go back to school. The couple enrolled at Diablo Valley Community College in Pleasant Hill, with UC-Berkeley in mind as a future destination.
“Amelia and I set our goals on Berkeley but knew how competitive admissions would be so we were naturally nervous for the verdict,” reflects Moore. “One of the best days of our lives was April 27, 2007- the birth of our second daughter Giana was capped off with both of our acceptance letters to Berkeley arriving in the mail.”
After attending UC-Berkeley and earning his degree in mass communications, Moore turned his focus to the Sport Management Program at USF. It was back in 2005 that Moore cut out a newspaper article that displayed the Sport Management Program.
Using the program as motivation, Moore strove for success at Berkeley before joining the program he had identified nearly six years prior. After a quick detour following graduation, Moore enrolled at USF.
“Upon graduating from Cal I took a position in solar technology sales, but it was not my dream of working in sports, so I applied for the sport management program,” notes Moore.
Moore’s first six months in the program have been a success. Following the conclusion of the NFL lockout, Moore joined the San Francisco 49ers as a community relations intern. As a community relations intern Moore works in many aspects of the 49ers’ community outreach programs. This includes running youth football camps, as well as organizing toy and clothing drives.
Joining the 49ers following the NFL lockout allowed Moore to face many different obstacles during a challenging time in NFL history. With a shortened timeline to prepare for the season, the NFL work environment proved to be even more fast paced than usual. Moore turned this stressful time into an opportunity to learn from some of the industry's best.
“The way the 49ers handled everything was truly impressive and showed me how hard you need to work and how passionate you need to be in order to be successful in this field,” says Moore.
All of us in the program who know Mason were extremely happy and excited for him when he landed his new gig with the 49ers. Though our opinions and support surely meant something to Mason, there was little doubt that there were a couple people he needed to impress most.
“My 4-year old is too young to appreciate my job, but my 8-year old, Peyton, understands it is something to boast about and likes to tell people that her dad works for the Niners,” explains Moore.
“The whole family came out for the Monday night game against the Steelers, giving her another opportunity to brag to her friends. I also brought them out to a lymphoma & leukemia walk in which the Niners were a sponsor and it was a great experience for all of us. They knew why we were there and who it affected because they have a cousin that fought leukemia and is in remission.”
With his internship with the 49ers, Moore finds himself juggling school, work and family.
“Part of being so busy is finding enough quality time to spend with my wife and kids. I am not a workaholic. I need to be with my family, and finding that balance often means that I can not always give my full attention to other areas in my life, but it is something I have learned to accept. Priorities are important and for me there is no question: my number one priority is always my girls,” says Moore.
In order to be a successful intern, student and father, Moore understands the support from his wife is paramount to handling all three aspects of his life.
“I could go on forever about what my wife has meant to me and my family. She is definitely the glue that holds us together,” says Moore. “She is my biggest supporter and encouraged me to go after the internship with the 49ers and continue my education at USF.”
Moore’s story of school, career and family is one that all of his peers and friends admire. While all of us come into the program with our own challenges, Mason’s responsibilities with his family speak to the type of motivated and loyal individual he is.
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